Chapter 80: Ethereal Reckoning
The night was still, eerie as if the village itself was holding its breath. The tension in the air thickened as Abel, Gravedigger, and Ronald stood ready. They faced the grotesque abomination on the dried lake bed—its form twisted with vines, stone, and eyes. Its body radiated a sinister energy, and a chilling hiss escaped its tooth-filled torso, sending shivers through them.
Abel’s hands tingled as his connection to the stars hummed, but fear gripped him. This creature was different from anything they’d faced so far.
Without warning, the abomination lunged at Ronald, its massive form moving faster than expected. Ronald reacted instinctively, summoning his newly acquired powers. Ghastly water, dark and thick, materialized in front of him, swirling and forming into a giant spectral fist. He sent it crashing into the abomination’s chest, but the creature only staggered, shaking off the attack with a sickening snarl. It seemed glad that the marvelous plant on its viney hand was safe.
"It's strong," Ronald grunted, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "Too strong."
The abomination roared in defiance, charging again. This time, Abel focused. He called upon the stars, his fingers glowing with that familiar celestial light. With a flick of his wrist, he manipulated the gravity around the abomination, pulling it to the ground. Abel pushed himself to the limit, calling upon all of the starlight he had devoured and accumulated in the past, even the star above seemed to assist him quietly. The creature slowed, its movements becoming obviously sluggish, yet its fury did not wane. It let out a guttural, haunting cry that seemed to echo through the village shaking the world, turning the surrounding environment darker than before.
Gravedigger stepped forward, his eyes blazing with intensity. "Time to end this." He raised his hand to the femur bone strapped to his back. "Show your true form," he commanded.
The bone flew from his back, rising into the air as if carried by an unseen force. A brilliant light enveloped it, and the air crackled with power. Abel and Ronald watched in awe, their eyes wide with disbelief as the bone transformed before them. It grew larger, heavier, reshaping itself until a massive skeletal T-rex stood before them, its hollow eyes glowing with a fiery red light. The ground trembled beneath its weight. The ancient aura it exuded almost brought everyone in time.
"By the stars…" Abel whispered, unable to tear his eyes away. "This… this is the power of an Apostle?"
Ronald stood frozen for a moment, his glasses reflecting the immense skeletal beast. "I didn’t think it was possible," he muttered. "This level of power..."
Gravedigger smirked, his expression hard and focused. "Watch closely—this is what you should aim for."
The skeletal dinosaur roared, a sound that reverberated through the air like thunder. The abomination screeched back, but it was no match for the sheer size and power of Gravedigger’s creation. With a thunderous crash, the T-rex lunged forward, its skeletal jaws clamping down on the abomination’s arm, tearing through vines and stone with brutal efficiency.
The abomination fought back, slamming its massive claws into the side of the T-rex. However, it movement was much more predictable as the stars bore down on it with their gravitational weight. The skeletal beast stumbled slightly from the strike but did not fall. It countered with another vicious bite, snapping off a chunk of the abomination's torso. The battle was fierce, each blow shaking the ground, sending shards of stone and debris flying through the air.
Abel could feel the weight of the stars pressing down on him as well. His heart raced, and his hands trembled, but there was also a deep, burning desire within him. This—this raw power—was what he wanted. He could see his path now, clearer than ever.
The fight raged on. Gravedigger, controlling the T-rex with masterful precision, sent the skeletal beast crashing into the abomination again and again. But the abomination, desperate and enraged, began to change. Its body twisted and contorted, eyes multiplying across its form glowing in a vile red light, its mouth stretching grotesquely. With a final, deafening roar, the abomination tore through the air, smashing through the T-rex’s ribcage with its grotesque arms.
Abel pulled a star away from putting gravity weight onto the abomination making it hover far from the cluster, as it began to spin. It spun faster and faster, and it didn't top. The star spun so fast that it looked ethereal as it began to absorb the starlight from the sky of the illusory world. The starlight surrounding the star thumping with intense pressure whenever a chunk of starlight fed into it.
“Ronald, can you restrain it with your water?” Abel asked
Ronald nodded materializing ghastly water again, creating chains that began to wrap around the abomination's legs. His control of the water was incredible leaving both Abel and Gradevidder impressed. The slight screeches of spirits within the water echoed, and it really restrained the abomination for a brief moment. Despite the chains, the abomination proceeded with the assault, as it began to make strange dark melodic sound from the void that was its mouth.
The skeletal beast stumbled, its bones cracking and breaking apart under the abomination’s relentless assault. Gravedigger grimaced, beads of sweat forming on his brow as he struggled to maintain control. "It’s calling to its god…" he muttered. "We need to end this—now."
The abomination's eyes locked onto Abel. With a swift movement, it tried to lunge for him, its massive claw raised to strike. The chain broke with a boom! As Ronald staggered coughing blood. The Abomination ran with killing intent. But before it could land the blow, Abel’s hands shot up instinctively. His connection to the stars surged, and a gravitational force unlike anything he had ever felt surrounded the abomination, pulling it to the ground with crushing intensity. The creature screeched in pain, struggling against the weight.
“Agh!” Abel made a sound as he placed all of his efforts into this one little star which had accumulated so much star power at this point it was ready to cause destruction, and destruction it did as a huge powerful beam of starlight shot down with a speed that no one could react to.
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Zong!
BOOM!
The beam sliced through the abomination as it hit the soil carving the ground and charring it as it cut the abomination almost in half, while one half was still connected to him, the other half of the abomination’s torso was flapping by its side, dripping disgusting liquid on the ground. The abomination still held the plant as it cried in pain, its mouth now half of what it used to be.
Gravedigger seized the moment. "Enough!" he shouted, his voice full of power. He leaped into the air, calling the T-rex’s remaining bones to his side. The femur reformed into his massive bone spear, glowing with an ominous light. With a final, powerful strike, Gravedigger plunged the spear deep into the abomination’s remaining chest.
The abomination’s final, guttural scream echoed through the village, shaking the ground beneath them. Its monstrous body convulsed, crumbling into dust as its grotesque form collapsed. All that remained was the plant—beautiful and radiant, standing amidst the devastation like a serene, ethereal figure, shimmering under the moonlight. The silence that followed the abomination’s death was deafening, an unsettling calm that only deepened the eeriness of the scene.
Abel and Ronald stared at the plant, mesmerized by its beauty. Its glow intensified, and the plant began to expand, transforming into a towering, ghostly figure with a radiant aura. It was otherworldly—its leaves flowing like silk in an unseen breeze, its petals shimmering with a strange, captivating light. Abel couldn’t help but feel the allure tugging at his senses once more, the same allure that had nearly trapped him before.
The plant’s voice echoed through the night, vibrating with a haunting, melodic tone. "If you destroy me," it began, its voice rich and layered, as if a thousand whispers spoke in unison, "all the souls trapped here will perish. I am their salvation. I am all that keeps them from eternal suffering. And once I return I shall bring salvation to all of you as well."
The voice was chilling, yet persuasive, as though it wasn’t merely speaking—it was promising. Abel felt his resolve waver slightly, but then he glanced at Ronald.
Ronald’s sharp eyes, enhanced by his magical glasses, cut through the plant’s ethereal glow. He shook his head, his voice cold and unwavering. "You’re lying. These people are already dead, and you’ve trapped them in endless torment. I can see them for what they are—suffering, enslaved souls. This world is an illusion, and you’re just feeding off their misery."
The plant hesitated, its glow flickering for a moment, revealing cracks in its facade. It seemed uncertain for the first time, as if Ronald’s words had struck a chord.
"You seek power, do you not?" the plant said, its voice changing to a more seductive, enticing tone. "I can give you more power than you can imagine. Let me live, and I will make you gods among men. All the strength, all the influence you could ever desire… just spare me."
For a split second, Abel felt the weight of those words settle over him. Power. The promise of unlimited potential. But then he remembered the illusion—the twisted, nightmarish mental world they had just escaped, the suffering of the souls trapped by the plant’s magic. This was no gift; it was a prison, and the plant was the warden.
Gravedigger, standing tall with his bone spear still glowing faintly, stepped forward. His expression was one of cold, unyielding determination. "I’m not interested in your bargains," he growled, his voice low and threatening. "We’ve had enough of your tricks."
Without waiting for another word, Gravedigger leaped into the air, his spear glowing with an ominous, bone-chilling light. Abel and Ronald watched in awe as Gravedigger, with the precision of a battle-hardened Apostle, drove the bone spear deep into the heart of the ethereal plant.
The plant let out a final, desperate cry,” This is simply one of my manifestations in this world. You will pay!” its shimmering light fading rapidly as its body began to disintegrate into dust, just like the abomination before it. The once beautiful plant crumbled into nothingness, leaving only a lingering sense of dread in the air.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The village itself seemed to shudder violently, the fabric of reality ripping apart as a massive crack appeared in the sky above. The world—this false, illusory world—was collapsing.
"Reality’s breaking," Abel whispered, eyes wide as the crack in the sky grew larger, tendrils of light and shadow swirling around it.
Gravedigger’s voice cut through the chaos. "We need to move—now!" he barked, urgency in his tone. "This world is falling apart. We need to find the others and get out of here before it takes us down with it."
Abel nodded quickly. "I’ll get Tina and Jane!" he said, already sprinting towards where he had last seen them.
The ground shook violently as Abel raced through the crumbling village. Houses collapsed in on themselves, fading into dust as the illusion shattered piece by piece. The vibrant, colorful world that had seemed so perfect was now disintegrating, revealing the hollow, lifeless shell it had always been.
Abel found Tina and Jane, still dazed and confused, struggling to comprehend the collapse. He grabbed them both by the arms. "No time to explain! We have to leave—now!" he shouted.
They didn’t argue. They ran with him, dodging falling debris and broken structures as the village tore itself apart.
As they reached the gathering point, Abel paused allowing Tina and Jane to head towards the others. Abel turned his gaze to the sky one last time. The stars—those beautiful, eternal stars that had guided him, and helped him—were still there, twinkling faintly amidst the chaos. Even in this crumbling illusion, they shone brightly. Almost as if they were trapped here along with all of the other fakeness.
Abel raised his arms toward them, his heart swelling with a deep, unshakable connection. "I won’t let you fade away, You might be from this fake world, but you are not fake to me…" he whispered, his voice filled with determination.
The stars above him began to move, dancing once more in that mesmerizing, celestial pattern that had spoken to him so many times before. But this time, they descended toward him, forming a single, brilliant orb of light that hovered above his head. Abel reached out, fingers glowing, and with a deep sense of purpose, he consumed the star.
His body shone with radiant light, his skin glowing as the celestial energy settled within him. The warmth of the stars filled his soul, and for a moment, he felt as though the entire universe was within his grasp. As the light faded, an imprint formed on his forehead—an eye, with an iris shaped like a perfect star.
He gazed up at the now-fading sky, feeling a deep, profound connection to the stars that transcended the boundaries of reality.
The world around them continued to crumble, Gravedigger who was helping others into a crack in reality took a pause to look at the scene in front of him. He has been through a lot, but this was a first for him. As Abel’s ritual concluded Gravedigger called out, "Time’s running out, Abel! We have to go!"
Abel nodded, his heart racing as he rejoined the group. Together, they stepped through the crack in reality, leaving the collapsing illusion behind and returning to the cold, dark ruins of the real world. They were sent to a dark spacious room inside of the ruins, which seemed to have no dangers around. No one spoke as they made their way back to the cathedral, each of them lost in their thoughts, knowing that what lay ahead was even more dangerous than the illusion they had just escaped.
Abel glanced at his reflection in a shard of broken glass, touching the star-shaped eye insignia on his forehead. His connection to the stars had deepened, and he knew this was only the beginning.